Pre-service Teachers and Teacher Education

Abstract

Pre-service teachers face several challenges as they strive to achieve excellence. Not only must they prove they master their subject matter, but they must also show competence in classroom management, methodology, and assessment. When a pre- service teacher also chooses to take the teaching degree in an EFL setting, the additional hurdle of acquiring near-native fluency is added. This paper aims to study how pre-service teachers view their learning process, which disciplines they believe are the most relevant, and how their linguistic competence does or does not interfere with their teaching skills. Ten pre-service teachers were asked to respond to a questionnaire and were interviewed using a focus group format. Findings show that pre-service teachers who have chosen to follow their degree in English rather than their native language must show more effort so as to succeed.